Angle-bar



(No Model.) y W, F. GoULD.-

. ANGLE BAR, RAIL CHAIR, RAILJ'OINT, am., f No. 548,705. v1255511555y05.5. 29,1895..

UNirnD STATES ATENT, OFFICE.

WILLIAM F. GOULD, OF DES MOINES, IOWA.

ANGLE-BAR, RAIL-, CHAIR, RA|L-Jo|NT,v&o.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 548,705, dated October29,1895.

Application filed March 9, 1886 Serial No. 194,661- (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAMF. GoULD, a citizen of the United States,residing at Des Moines, in the county of Polk and State of Iowa, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Angle-Bars, Railway-RailChairs, and Rail-Joints, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to railway-rail joints and to an improvement intheir construction, and also to an improvement in angle-bars used forthe purpose of splicing railway-rail ends, and also in railway-railchairs used in supporting railway-rail ends and their supports, theobject f the invention being, rst, to make a stronger rail-joint withVangle-bars than those now in use, support the rails better, and lastlonger; second, to form the angle-bar sothat it can be used twice on thesame section of rail, which is accomplished by making it (the bar) sothat it is adapted in size and form to be reversed or inverted, and ittherefore has four (4) bearing-surfaces, two of. which ,engagev the railat the same time, and when so inverted orieversed theV other twobearingsurfaces on the same bar or splice will then engage the ball andiiange of the rail, respectively, in. the same manner, showing how itcan -be used either edge upward, so that when one edge becomes worn itcanbe turned and the -unworn surfaces of the bar be placed in contactwith the rail, thereby using the same angle-bar or splice twice; third,to so form the angle-bar that it will tit dierent sections of rails, sothat one leg or angle of thebar will lit a diierent section of rail thantheother angle or leg of the same bar, so that one set of rolls in arolling-mill can make a rail-splice that will fit two sections of rails;fourth, to so form the angle-bar with one set of rolls in arolling-mill, or one pattern to be used in the sand at a foundry, thatitwill form an interchangeable angle-bar with one leg or angle of the barthicker than the other leg of the same bar, so that when two bars arecombined with two rails at the same joint their vertical and horizontalportions can be placed in inverted position relative to each other onopposite sides of the rails, thereby forming the stron gest rail-jointpossible to make with angle-bars, and in order to save Vmetal it may be'advisable to make this bar thinner at its ends'tha'n at its center orwithl aswell or reinforcement at its central portion; fifth, I so formthe angle-bars that they will be adjustable relative to the verticalwear which takes place at the rail-joint between the angle-bar orrail-splice and the rails, and the bars so used produce a result ormethod which is new for said purpose; sixth, 'to so form the angle-baror railf splice with swells or reinforcements that its utility will bemore complete, and the results obtained by forming the bar or splice asimplied are new and very advantageous, and it can be made, also, withone set of rolls or cast in a mold and should be made of metal, (I wouldprefer steel g) seventh, to so form a railway-rail chair'that it will beadapted to be used in combination with the angle-bars, rails, and ties,and also be interchangeable and both of its outside edges adapted to fitagainst either edge of the reversible angle-bar and also to slidelaterallyunder the rail from either side or end ofthe rail andv yetallow the angle-bar to be adj usted relative to vertical wear ofthe samewhile in such position.

I attain these objects by the mechanism as illustrated in theaccompanying drawings, in Which-- Figure l is a view of a verticalsection of one end of a railway-rail and two of Ymy reversibleangle-bars. Fig. 2 is a View of a vertical sectionof the end of a rail,two of my reversible anglebars, and an end View of my chair. Fig. 3 is avertical sectional .view of two of my reversible angle-bars, showing thebars with diierent lengths of leg, angle, or vertical'section in' eachbar, reference being had to the dotted lines Z Z. Fig. 4 is an endviewof my railway-'rail chair having inclines on its outside edgesinclining inwardly, and also having a convex base. Fig. 5 is an end viewof my reversible and interchangeable angle-bar, showing outside swellsand reinforcements upon its outside surface, and'also one of its legs orangles thicker than the other leg or angle of the same bar, also showingthat this anglebar or rail-splice can be used in an inverted position oneither side of the rails at the same joint, also showing that it`hasfour separate and distinct bearing-surfaces, two of which are adapted,respectively, to engage the under side of the ball of the rail and twoof which are adapted to engage a ICC portion of the top of the iange ofthe rail. Fig. 6 is a view in perspective of my reversible andinterchangeable angle-bar, showing the swell or reinforcement thicker onone leg or angle of the bar than on the other leg or angle of the samebar, and showing the swells or .reinforcements to be so made upon theoutside surface of the bar or splice. Fig. 7 shows a vertical sectionalview of a railway-rail joint,and two of my reversible angle-bars withreinforcements on their inside portions, showing the bars as they are inposition on the rails, and also the relative position of the splice tothe rail in combination with the chair C and packing p. Fig. 8 is aperspective view of my angle-bar adapted to be used in an invertedposition or as a reversible angle-bar, also showing the bar withoutreinforcements on its outside surface. Fig. 9 is a perspective view ofmy combination of the chair, angle-bars, rails, and ties.

' These figures being jointly and severally considered illustrate thenovelty and utility of my complete invention.

Similarletters refer tosimilarpartsthroughout the several views.

E is my improved angle-bar, adapted to be placed on each side of theends of two rails at the joint. Itis provided with perforations or holeso and K. 0 is to receive the bolt b while K is to receive the spike, asshown in Figs. l and 2. In Fig. l is shown the anglebars E E without thechair C, which is shown in Figs. 2, 7, and 9, to show that it is notabsolutely necessary to use the chair in order to form a rail-joint withmy reversible anglebars.

Fig. l clearly shows how a railway -rail joint can be made andmaintained by using my reversible and interchangeable angle-bars E E. Itis also shown in this gure how different sections of railway-rails mayeach use one and the same reversible, adjustable, and interchangeableangle-bar E, so that in case a railway corporation has differentsections of rails on its lines of road it can use my angle-bar E on atleast two different sections of rails, and the saine bar can be made tolit two different sections of rails, be reversible, adjustable, andinterchangeable, and yet be made by one set of rolls in a rolling-millor cast from one pattern in the sand at a foundry.

What I mean by the word section of a railway-rail is the distancebetween its ball` and flange, as clearly shown in Fig. 1.

What I mean by the word interchange. able in this specification is thatthe angle-bar E or a rail-splice is adapted to be inter- Vchanged fromone side of the rail to be inthis angle-bar E will fit the rail eitheredge upward when it is interchanged.

Another advantage gained by using the' angle-bar E, as above described,is that it can be made with one leg or angle so much heavier, thicker,and stronger than the other leg or angle of the same bar, and as oneedge of the bar will t the rail as well as the other it makes the jointso much stronger to put the thickest, heaviest, and strongest leg of thebar in a vertical position on the outside of the rails at the joint andhorizontally on the inside of the rails at the same joint, therebyforming a new combination, whereby the strength of the jointis increasedfar beyond what it ever was before by a pair ofanglebars or rail-splicesmade by one set of rolls or dies, for the reason that thicker pieces ofmetal can be used in the'angle-bars when they are combined, asdescribed, for the purpose of supporting the ends of railway-rails.

In order to prevent confusion as to what is meant by the words leg ofthe'bar in this specification, by referring to Fig. 3 the dotted lines ZZ are drawn through the section of the anglebar E, and the so-calledlegs of the bar are those portions of the bar above and below the dottedlineZ Z. Forinstance, one leg or angle of the bar is from the dottedline ZZ to e, while the other leg or angle of the same bar is from thedotted line Z Z to OZ, and the four bearing-surfaces on the bar are oneat e, one at CZ, one on the'insideline of the bar or splice E between cand the dotted line ZZ, and thev other is on the inside line of the barbetween the dotted line Z Zand CZ, clearly showing four (4)bearing-surfaces upon one angle-bar or rail-splice, which is new andver-y advantageous.

In Fig. 3 is shown the angle-bar E with different lengths of leg orsection, which is eX- plained as follows: By measuring from e to thedotted line Z'Z is found to be longer than from cZto the same line. Theright-hand ligure shows the splice the same as though the bar wasreversed or inverted.

In Fig. 4 is shown a modification of my chair C, and shows the chairwith its base rounded where it receives the base of the rail. It isformed so that when sand or other substance gets into it after the railsare put in position it will allow the sand to work out from under thebearing-surface of the rail.

and into the edges of the chair, and so prevent t'he chair and railsfrom wearing too fast.

In Figs. 5 and 6 are shown the swells ff upon the outside surface of thebar E, and its form is changed on its outside portions, while theportions which are to come in contact with the rails are the same,showing that while the outward form of the bar E is adapted to bechanged the bar will still perform the function of a reversible andinterchangeable railsplice; also, that the swells ff or the swell on thehorizontal portion of the bar at or near the letters CZ and K at itslower edge may be increased above or beyond that of any other IOO joint.

spliceor angle bar known, and yet the bar can be used twice for the sameI am aware that swells and reinforcements have been placed upon theoutside surfaces of a railway-rail splice for the purpose of increasingthe strength of such splices for years past. i

I am aware, also, that putting one piece of metal onto another piece-ata particular point to strengthen the same'is not new; but when suchrail-splices were made they were limited not only to a certainthickness, but also in form and to the position they had to be placedin, or else they were not made in one set of rolls in a rolling-mill. Y

' I am aware that rail-splices have been formed with the outsideportions of the splicebars thicker or heavier than the inside splicebar;but such bars or splices could, not be interchanged, reversed,orinverted but with my reversible and interchangeable angle-bar orrail-splice E,I make the swell or reinforcement as heavy as necessary onthe thin leg of the bar, and by putting the thin leg of the .bar in avertical position on the inside of the rail at the joint I then make thehorizontal portion of the same bar very much heavier, and as it is insuch position it prevents the bar from bending when the weight comes onit, and it also prevents the T- headed bolts from turning when the nutsare operated.v The bar on the outside of the same rail-joint can beplaced with the thick or heavy por- `tion of the bar in a verticalposition, and as the thinner leg of that bar is in a horizontal positionon the outside of the rail at the same joint it will not interfere withthe operation of the nuts on the bolts b, and whenitbecomes necessary torenew the joint it can be done by removing the bolts b, then reversingor inverting and interchanging the bars E E, so that the unworn surfaceson the bars come in contact with the rails, and the joint will 4be asgood as new and its strength will be the same as before the change wasmade.

vThereforeit will be seen that by these means I have produced anangle-bar or rail-splice"` that is susceptible of more changes,combinations, heavier reinforcements, or swells, thereby making andmaintaining a better and stronger rail-joint and also providing forvertical wear of the same after it takes place in a better and morecomplete mannerlhan Vholes in each rail. -the screw-threaded ends of thebolts b, and as any other angle-bar known.

In order to form a rail-joint as above described, a pair of myangle-bars E are used -by placingone on each side of two abuttingrailway-rails at the joint. The bolts b are then put through the holes oin the vertical lugs of the bars E, and through corresponding Nuts arethen placed upon -are then driven through the notches K in the purposeat a railhas been used and vertical wear has taken place upon the barsor rails, or both.

When my improved chair O is used in combination with my angle-bars E E,the chair is laid under the abutting ends of two rails and'on top of oneor more cross-ties. Then the angle-bars E E are on, as hereinbefore deiscribed, and in additionto the bolts b two or more bolts jj are passedthrough the chair C and through corresponding holes in the angle-bars EE on each side of the chair, as clearly shown in Figs. 2, 7, and 9.

'When it becomes necessary to use the packing'1o,as shown in Fig. 7,some kind of paper or other fibrous substance can be inserted betweenthe edgesof the bars E E and the chair C or under the rail and on top ofthe base ot' the chair C, as shown in Fig. 7. The packing p so put inwill deaden the sound or noise and also impartadegree of elasticity tothe joint while under the passing wheels.

Fig. 6 shows one swell on one leg of the angle-bar E thicker than on theother leg ofthe same bar, showing that the swell also may be continuousfrom one edge or bearing-surface of the angle-har to the other, and alsothe bar E is shown thicker through one leg of the same bar than theother leg, a feature that is also shown orsuggested in Fig 5.

I am aware that prior to my invention swells have been placed underneathand upon the central portions of the horizontal portions of rail-chairs,and a series of ribs ruiming in various directions and connected witheach other have also been placed upon the outside portions of suchchairs, but not on angle-bars, and that the chairs so made could not beused upon one tie only, and that the chairs so made were not adjustableor interchangeable, as contemplated by me; neither did they provide inany way fortaking up the verticalwear of thejoint by being reversed orinterchanged; neither did the swells on such chairs prevent the T-headedbolts b from turning when the nuts upon the opposite ends of said boltswere operated; 4neither were the swells or ribs on such chairs madeheavier on their upper horizontal portions than on their verticalportions and also adapted to lit the rails on each side of them (therails) at the joint and have also a variable thickness in their verticalsection. The ribs, swells, or reinforcements were always alike on eachside of the rails at the joint, and when in position were not adapted tobeinterchanged or perform the same func- ICO IIO

tion at al rail-joint as the anglebarbereiu de-I scribed by me.-

4this specification by the Words inside of the rail, it means thatportion of the rails which comes nearest the flanges of the wheels ofcars or engines while they are passing over them.

In Fig. 6 is shown how my reversible and interchangeable angle-bar E isformed as to be used either edge upward, thereby mak-ing it possible touse thicker bars or a heavier reinforcement upon a rail splice than vhasbeen heretofore used. If a slight reinforcement upon the outside surfaceof a rail-splice improves the joint, then a heavier reinforcement orswell upon a. rail-splice must be another improvement upon the formerdevice,

and therefore I not only increase the size of the swell orreinforcement, but also form a new and useful combination of splicesandtheir reinforcements with the rails at a rai-ljoint, which was beforeunknown. Swells or reinforcements as they are cal-led, are placed uponmechanical devices' usually to Save metal when that device co-uld be ofthe same thickness its entire length, and when such reinforcements orswells were so used on rail-joints or fish-plates orl railway-railchairs they were alike-on each side of the rail and adapted only to beplaced in a vertical position on each side of the rail', and were notmade any thicker in their vertical portions than would clear the flangesof the wheels in passing over them on either splice;` but by placing myangle-bars E E in inverted positions relative to each other on oppositesides of the-rails atthe joint it admits whilein suc-h position of avery much heavier swell or reinforcement f being used, and therebyincreasing the strength of the joint far beyond the one now used withangle-bars, my object being to make an angle-bar or sp1-ice as strong aspossible near the extreme end of the rail and yet allow the variablev ordiierent-sized reinforcement or swell on the same bar to be placed in avertical or horizontal position, as the occasion may require.

As shown in Fig. 5, the swellf is'. shown by the dotted lines, showingthe swell to be heavier from d to the center of the bar E than it isfrom e to the same center on the outside of the same angle-bar E,showing its position vertically and horizontally as the insidesplice.

Fig. 6 shows the angle-bar E with one leg or angle thicker than theother, and therefore with more strength through the reinforcement orswellf, and the thickest and heaviest portion of the bar E shows as itwould vertically on the outside of the rail at the joint or as theoutside splice.

The swell on the vertical portion of the inside splice should be asheavy as possible and yet clear the lianges of the wheels while passingover them, While the swell on the horizontalportion of the same spliceor bar may be much heavier orv thicker, so that if placed in -a verticalposition on the inside of the rail then it would not clear the flangesof the wheels of the engines or cars and would be therefore inoperative5 but this is arranged by putting the heavy angleI ork leg of the bar Ein a vertical position on the outside and horizontally on the inside ofthe rails at the same joint, and by so doingl amenabled to make and useangle-bars reinforced far beyond any one heretofore made, and the barsherein so j described and shown can be made byone set of rolls in arolling-mill, for the angle-bars or rail-splices so made and adapted tobe placed o-n each side of the rails at the joint are duplicates. ofeach other, and therefore can be peut on in inverted positions relativeto each other on opposite sides of the rails at the same joint, therebyforming a combination which is new and very advantageous, as clearlyshown in Figs. 5 and 6- of my accompanyin-g drawings.

In Fig. 7 is shown two of my angle-bars E when used in combination witha chair C and j packing p, and the lines on the inside of the angle-barsE E show the swells or reinforcements f f on the inside of the bars E,clearly showing the angle-bar or rail-splicereinforced on the inside ofthe bar or splice. In Fig. 7 it isintended to show an angle-bar orrailsplice that is stronger at its center than its ends and yet allowits outside surface to have an even or plain bearin g surface for theheads of the boltsband alsothe nuts to come in contactv with or to restupon, and so that the-bolts b will all be of the same length when theyare placed in the holes o, as clearly shown in this ligure also.

I do not wish to confiney myself to any particular form of swell orreinforcement either upon the inside or outside` of the angle-bar E, butto so form the bar or rail-splice that it will give the greatest amountof support to the extreme end of thel rails and yet be adapted to beadjusted relativeto the vertical wear of the joint.

What is` meant in this specification by the word adjustable is that theangle-bar or v rail-splice can be, adjusted relative to the position ofthe splice and rail to each other or to the position the splice is in,whether it relates to vertical wear of the splice and rails or whetherit relates to. curvature of track or elasticity of the joint, and unlessthesplice is so formed as to be adapted to conform to these conditionsit will fail asl an an gie-bar or a railsplice, and to do this properlyit must be in constant contact with the ball and flange only of the railat the joint, and When it becomes necessary to adjust the angle-bar Erelative to the vertical wear of the same or the rails it can be done byoperating the nuts on the screw-threaded ends of the bolts b, which willdraw the angle-bars E toward each other and upward on the wedge-shapedflanges of the rails B at the joint, thereby forcing the vertical leg ofthe bar into contact with the under side of the ball of the rail B, andby so doing reduce or take up all of the vertical Wear which takes placebetween the rails and their splices, clearly showing, also, that thisoperation above described would be impossi- IOO IIO

ble if the angle-bar-or rail-splice E came in show in Figs. l, 2, and 7a space between the web of the rail B and the inside vertical'portionsof the angle-bar E. The space herein shown extends upward from theflange of the rail B, showing that the splices or anglebars can beadjusted by being drawn toward each other after they are in positionland become worn, thereby clearly illustrating the operation of anadjustable rail-splice.

. I am aware that prior to my invention railsplices have been formedwith enlargements adapted to lit only between the ends of the rails atthe joints, thereby forming two openings or rail-joints where thereshould be but one, and the rail-splices so formed could not be rolledand were therefore expensive in their manufacture; neither could they beadj usted relative to vertical wear upon the splices and rails and thesplices so made were limited to a prescribed form or section of rail andcould not be adapted to sharp curves in a railway-track withoutbendingthe splice or forming tangents in -the track when'a long splicewas used; but with my adjustable angle-bar formed with aswell orreinforcement f upon the inside of the bar or splice, and, as shown inFig. 7, the splice-is adjustable relative to vertical wear and also tocurvature of track, and it can be very easily rolled in its manufacture,which gives it a commercial value. When my angle-bar E is used, it doesnot increase the number of joints in a railway-track; neither do theinside swells or reinforcements f upon the bars or splices come incontact with each other or the rails; but they (the splices) are soformed that they have a smooth outside surface for the nuts andbolt-heads to rest upon, and while the splices so formed hold the endsof the rails comparatively rigid, yet the intermediate portions of therails can be moved s idewise to form curvature of track without bendingthe splice or forming tangents in the track, even when a splice is usedlong enough to cover three ties properly spaced, which shows that thedevice above described is new and very advantageous. v

, The angle-bar E, as shown in Fig. 8, is intended to show an outsideView of the bar E, as shown in Fig. 7, with a plain outside surface, theswells or reinforcements f f, as shown in Fig. 7, being on the inside ofthe splice; yet they do not interfere with or are they an impediment tousing this same bar or splice in an inverted position, provided thereinforcement or swell f is put on, as shown in Fig. 7, for they beginat a and extend vertically downward to where the splice engages thellangelof the rails. The reinforcements or swells f f may extendlongitudinally also on the inside of the angle bar or splice E each wayfrom the center of the bar E, as shown in Fig. 7 in the supplementalview of the same. In forming the angle-bars E, I make them as thick aspossible on their top edges,

and yet not so thick as to touch the web of the rail when the bars arein their respective position on each side of the rails. What is meant bythe words top edges is that part of the angle-bar E which comes incontact with the under side of the balls of the rails when in position.

I am aware that prior to my invention railsplices have been formedclaiming to be `elastic and made in the form of straps or fish-- plates(but not as angle-bars) formed con- `cave upon their inside portions,and as the concavity on such splices was deeper at their ends than attheir central portions ribs were thus formed running longitudinallyalongV 4contact with the upper and lower portions of the web of therails at the joint (as it is clearly seen they do when in position) theyare inoperative as a rail-splice, for the reason that it is impossibleto reduce theopening made by vertical wear or to take up the wear at arail-joint when any splice is used which comes in contact vwith the webof the rail, because the splices cannot be drawn toward each other vwhenthe nuts are operated or screwed up.y The elasticity of a rail-jointdoes not depend so much upon the splice as it does upon the relativepositions that the rail and splice occupy toward each other, for thereason that the rail is as rigid two inches from its end as it is tenfeet from the same end. The flange is more elastic, of course, than theball or head of the rail. Therefore the elasticity of a railwjointdepends in a great measure upon the position the splice occupies uponthe flange of the rail, and if the splices are so put on that theirinside vertical portions touch the upper and lower portions of the webof the rail, while their bearing-surfaces come in contact with the balland flange, then their elasticity is destroyed, for the reason that thesplice is as rigid as the rail. Therefore short curves cannot be laidwith such devices without forming tangents or` bending the splice, (whensuch splices are used,) which is detrimental to the track; but when myangle-bar E is used (shown in Fig. 7) the end of the bar rests upon themore elastic part ofthe llange of the rail, which yields slightly whensharp curves are laid, thereby allowing side movement of the-railwithout bending the splice. It is the interior and not the exteriorbolts which loosen first at a rail-joint, because of the wedge-shapedbearing-surfaces on the rail which come in contact with the splices, andthey are forced apart at the extreme ends of the rails by blows frompassing wheels striking the ends of the rails While moving over them,which operationstretches the bolts b, thereby caus- IOO TIO

ing friction and wear upon 4the splices at this particular point, andunless means are provided to properly adjust lthe splices or anglebarsto their proper places as bearing-surfaces on the rails, and also tokeep them adjusted after they become worn in the manner described, theywill soon become worn out and dangerous or entirely useless.

I am aware it is not new to form a strap or iish-plate thicker in themiddle than it is at its ends, as that has been done by reinforcing itsoutside portions or by hollowing out its inside portions near its ends;but all such devices are inoperative as contemplated by me, for thereason that no provision was made by them for vertical adjustment of thesplice relative to the vertical wear of the same or to the adjustment ofthe splice and rail relative to curvature of track; but when myadjustable angle-bar or railsplice is used reinforced or with swellsupon its inside portions it can be very easily adjusted relative tovertical wear either on the splice or on the rails by merely operatingor tightening up the nuts on the bolts b, which will draw the splicestoward each other, as shown in Figs. 1, 2, and 7. Furthermore, when myadjustable anglebar E or rail-splice is used reinforced on its innerwalls, as shown in Fig. 7, the lower bearingsurface of the extreme endof the angle-bar or railsplice rests upon the flange of the rail nearerthe center of the flange of the rail than its web or at a distance fromthe web, and as the flange of the rail is more elastic at that pointthan nearer its web, and the splice, also, is more pliable, the rail andsplice will readily adjust themselves to curvature of track, which canthus be made uniform when the splices so made are combined with therails in a railway-track, and a degree of elasticity is also thusobtained from the flange of the rail as Well as from the splice. Theform of the reinforcement or swell f can be such as to suit the lengthof the splice, and also to show that I do not wish to confine orrestrict myself to any particular form of reinforcement or swell uponthe splice, but that a reinforcement or swellf upon the inner walls ofan adjustable angle-bar or rail-splice is new and very advantageous.

I am aware that prior to my invention springs, keys, and chairs havebeen used at rail-joints in combination with each other only, and suchsprings and keys could not be used unless in combination with the chairsmade expressly for them, and such combinations could not be used onrails of differenty section, and when such springs, keys, or Wedges wereturned or inverted they did not bring their unworn surfaces in contactwith the rails, and therefore were not adapted to be used as or toperform the same function at a rail-joint as the reversiblerail-spliceherein described and shown by me.

The lower edge of the angle'bar may be made the same thickness as itsupper edge, so that when reversed its unworn surfaces j me.

will be the same, and therefore afford the same bearing to the rails asbefore the change was made.

In Fig. 9 is shown the combination of the chair C and angle bars E. Thechair is adapted to fit any section of rail and can be used on one ormore ties. It is firmly fixed to the ties when the joint is made bymeans of the spikes 7c, which pass through it and in a measure preventlongitudinal movement of the chair. One of my reversible angle-bars E isplaced on each side of the rails after the rails vhave been placed inthe chair. Bolts b are then put through the holes o in the bars, and,also, the bolts J are put through the chair and bars on each side of therails. Nuts are then screwed upon the screw-threaded ends of the bolts,and as all the nuts can be operated the joint so made can be firmlyfixed, for the reason that the bolts J hold the bars E to the chair C,which is firmly spiked to the ties, while the inclines Gr G engage thelower edges of the bars E E.

N is a swell or slight reinforcement upon the top edge of the angle-barE, as shown in Fig. 6, to assist in providing for vertical wear on theunder side of the ball of the rail.I It

can be used before as well as after the bar is worn, and is intended toassist the bar in overcoming vertical strains caused by uneven track orties of dierent bearing-surfaces at the joint.

My improved angle-bar E should be formed of metal-steel is preferred-andso madethat its upper and lower edges will each titthe rail as well oneway as the other. It may be providedwith two sets of bolt-holes oandnotches K, one set in each leg of the bar, so that there will be nodelay in putting the bar on or in inverting or reversing it after itbecomes worn, which can be-done by taking out the bolts Z7, inverting orreversing the bar E, and putting the bolts b in again, thereby bringingthe unworn surfaces of the bars in contact with the rails, therebyrenewing the joint without the expense of a new splice-bar. Turning thecommon fish-plate may not be new, but nothing is gained by so doing,forthe reason that their worn surfaces come in contact with the railagain, while with my reversible rail-splice unworn surfaces come incontact with the rail,and a new result is thus obtained when it isreversed. An angle-bar with one leg thicker than the other may not benew; but when combined as herein de scribed it produces a result that isnew, because the combination is new and very advantageous. An angle-barwith one leg or section longer than the other is not newybut suchsplices are not adapted to be reversed or interchanged and therefore arenot adapted to perform the same function at a rail-joint as the anglebar or splice herein described by Springs, keys, or wedges are notadapted to 'be used in the herein-described invention.

What is meant in this specificationby the inside of the splice or anglebar7 is that por ICO llO

tion of the splice or angle bar nearest the web of the rail when thebars or splices are in position.

The reversible angle-bar E, as shown in the accompanying drawings, isadapted with either edge d or e upward engaging the under side of theball of a rail at the joint, and while in either position it performsthe function of a rail-splice. It has, therefore, four (4) separate anddistinct bearing-surfaces, two of which are adapted to engage the top ofthe flange of a rail also,and are described as follows, reference beinghad to Fig. 8: The dotted lines Z Z are the dividing-lines of thebearingsurfaces of the bar E, adapted to engage the top of the flange ofthe rail at the joint. One of these bearing-surfaces is on the lowerline of the base of the bar E, extending from the lower intersection ofthe dotted lines ZZ toward d, while the other bearing-surface, adaptedto engage the top of the flange of the rail, extends from the dottedlines Z Z toward e on the same bar, while d and e of the above-describedlbar E represent those bearing-surfaces which are adapted to engage theunder sideof the ball of the rail, clearlj7 showing four (4) separateand distinct bearing-surfaces, each adapted to its respective position,on a single railsplice, which is new and very advantageous.

Having thus described my invention, therefore, what I claim asmy'invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a rail joint areversible angle bar, having upper and lower edgeseach adapted to lit either side of theV ball of a rail,and theintermediate portions of the bar so formed that when reversed its unwornsurface will come in contact with the rail, substantially as set forth.

2. In a rail joint an adjustable angle bar or rail splice having a swellupon the top of the outside surface of its horizontal portionsubstantially as set forth.

3. In a rail joint an adjustable and interchangeable angle bar or railsplice having' a varying thickness in its vertical and horizontalportions or legs substantially in the manner and for the purpose setforth.

4. In a rail joint the combination of rails and rail splices, the latterbeing of different thicknesses in their vertical and horizontal portionsor legs, and adapted to be placed in reversed positions relative to eachother on opposite sides of the rails at the same joint substantially inthe manner and for the purx pose set forth.

5. In a rail joint an adjustable and interchangeable angle bar or railsplice with one of its legs or sections thicker than the other,substantially as-set forth.

6. An angle bar or rail splice having legs or sections of a differentlength, of section or leg, and adapted to fit different sections ofrailway rails substantially as set forth.

7. In a rail joint a rail chair adapted in form to slide laterally underthe rails from either side, with a base so made as to receive the baseof a rail, and having also inwardly sloping inclines, G, on its outsideedges in combination with two of my reversible angle bars, two abuttingrailway rails, and one or more cross ties, substantially as set forth.

8. In a rail joint the combination ofthe chair, O, packing, p, two anglebars or rail splices, two abutting rails and one or more cross tiessubstantially as and for the purpose stated.

9. In a rail joint an adjustable angle bar or rail splice having areinforcement or swell upon its inside portion between its upper andlower bearing surfaces substantially in the manner and for the purposeset forth.

lO. An adjustable angle bar or rail splice having a reinforcement uponthe intermediate portion of the inside of its vertical sectionsubstantially in the manner and for the purposes set forth.

11. In a rail joint a reversible rail splice having upper and loweredges each adapted. to the under side of the ball of a rail and sovformed that when reversed or inverted its unworn surfaceswill come incontact with the rail, substantially as set forth.

12. An adjustable angle bar or rail splice with a reinforcement orswell` at its central portion extending from the top to the bottombearing surface thereof, substantially in the manner and for thepurposes set forth.

13. In a rail joint an adjustable angle bar or rail splice having aswell or reinforcement on top of the lower edge of its horizontalportion substantially as set forth.

14E. In a rail joint, an adjustable angle bar, or rail splice, capableof being rolled in its manufacture with a reinforcement on top of itshorizontal portion extending from its vertical leg outward substantiallyas set forth.

l5. An adjustable angle bar or rail splice constructed as set forth witha boss upon the top and at the center of its horizontal leg and alsocapable of being rolled in its manufacture as set forth.

16. A new article of manufacture, an angle bar or rail splice capable ofbeing rolled in its manufacture in one piece, and having four distinctbearing surfaces each respective bearing surface adapted to come incontact with the rails at a rail joint as set forth.

WILLIAM F. GOULD.

Witnesses:

C. A. MCCRAE, JAS. THOMPSON.

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